February 11, 2026 / 6:10 PM PST / CBS LA
A Los Angeles teacher was fired after he opened a locked gate for students during the anti-ICE walkouts happening throughout Southern California last week.
Ricardo Lopez, a former AP U.S. History and U.S. History teacher at Synergy Quantum Academy, said last Thursday, students were trying to climb over a locked fence to join the protests. Lopez said he saw students hurting themselves doing the same thing the day before.
"My number one priority as an educator is to create a safe space and try to protect my students," Lopez said. "In that moment, I just tried to protect them."
Lopez said that when he opened the gate, he wasn't encouraging students to leave; he was only trying to prevent another accident.
Within the hour, the school administration fired Lopez for insubordination and escorted him off campus. He called the punishment "very unfair" and "very unjust."
"I felt like a criminal," Lopez said. "It hurt being escorted like that. Some of my students saw me being escorted like that."
Community groups have shown their support for Lopez, and hundreds have signed an online petition calling for his reinstatement.
"Last year, I received an award for increasing the APUSH passing rate," Lopez said. "So this year, I was very confident I was going to continue to increase that, and I just want to get back in there to help my students."
Synergy Quantum Academy said administrators were supervising students during the protests to "prioritize safety." It has not received any reports of student injuries during the protests.
It added that it follows the Los Angeles Unified School District access and safety procedures.
"Decisions about whether students may leave campus during the school day are made solely by school administration, according to campus safety protocols," the school said in a statement.
Lopez said he wants to get back to his students, and if he can't, he's worried about what a termination for insubordination could mean for his teaching career.
"I just want to get back to the classroom," he said. "Supporting, and teaching, and protecting my students."